Optimizing a mHealth Physical Activity Intervention With Mindful Awareness Lessons in Breast Cancer Survivors

Summary

The primary purpose of the present study is to apply MOST methodology to determine which types of social support and mindfulness training intervention components optimally increase MVPA adoption and maintenance in Breast Cancer Survivors (BCS) in a 24-week intervention with a 48-week follow-up. The researchers will also examine the effects of changes in MVPA on symptom burden, time spent in intensities of other activities (i.e. light and sedentary), and sleep quality and duration.

Aim 1: To identify which components from four mHealth components under consideration for inclusion meaningfully contribute to improvements in MVPA at 24 and 48 weeks.

Aim 2: To examine how changes in MVPA, as a result of the 4 components, may influence additional health behaviors and outcomes including: a) symptom burden (i.e. fatigue, depression, anxiety); b) time spent i n other activity intensities (i.e. light, sedentary time); and c) sleep duration and quality.

Aim 3: To examine potential mediators (i.e. adherence, psychosocial factors such as post-traumatic growth, self-compassion, self-efficacy, and goal-setting) and moderators (i.e., age, time since diagnosis) of the four intervention components on MVPA.

Conditions

• Breast Cancer

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Core Intervention

All participants will receive a low-resource self-monitoring intervention consisting of the Fitbit Alta HR (or similar) and the study self-monitoring app. Participants will be provided with the Fitbit Alta HR. They will be asked to download the Fitbit app and wear the Fitbit 24/7 throughout the study. The Fitbit measures PA intensity, steps, and heart rate, and it syncs directly with the Ftibit app on the smartphone which will ill automatically sync with the study app and provide Fitbit data to the study team in real-time. The core study app will support BCS to increase their MVPA. The app will also contain educational information on MVPA and effective behavior change strategies for building self-efficacy, overcoming barriers, enhancing facilitators, setting realistic outcome expectations, and self-regulatory skill-building (i.e., reviewing progress, goal setting, action-planning and coping with disruptions).

BEHAVIORAL

E-Coach

Participants assigned to this condition will receive a weekly scheduled text message from their coach. Text messages will focus on building self-efficacy and self-regulation skills, setting realistic outcome expectations, overcoming barriers, and problem-solving and will directly support the participant's engagement in the intervention. The coach will provide a brief overview of the participant's recent progress and goals, ask if they are having any barriers and help them troubleshoot and set specific goals for the next week. Text message protocols will be informed by the investigators' previous experience using telephone coaching to promote MVPA in cancer survivors. In addition to the scheduled messaging, participants will also be instructed to reach out to their coach with any questions or for additional assistance.

BEHAVIORAL

Buddy

Participants assigned to this condition will select a buddy of their choice (i.e. friend, co-worker, caregiver or family member) that is ≥ 18 years of age and willing to share their Fitbit data with the study team. The buddy will be mailed a Fitbit, share their Fitbit data with the study team, and be provided with access to, and instructions for, all of the study app modules the participant has access to for their assigned condition. The study app include a buddy module where the buddy and participant can view each other's progress. The buddy will be expected to attend a 15-30 minute group orientation call and listen to four 10-15 minute podcast (one every 3 weeks) during the first 24 weeks of the intervention. Each webinar will provide social support training and peer discussion of challenges and successes in providing BCS with MVPA support.

BEHAVIORAL

General Mindfulness Training

Participants assigned to this condition will be instructed to watch 1 (1-2 mins), mindfulness education videos each week which lay the foundation for what mindfulness is and how it can be an important health behavior. Each week participants will also be asked to listen to general guided mindfulness audio files ≥5 days/ week. The length of recordings will gradually increase each week from 3-5 to 25-30 minutes. All videos and recording will be available via the study app.

BEHAVIORAL

MVPA-Specific Mindfulness Training

Participants assigned to the MVPA-specific mindfulness training component will be instructed to watch 1-2 brief (1-2 minute), mindfulness education videos each week which lay the foundation for what mindfulness is and the importance of linking mindful awareness with MVPA. Each week participants will be provided access to MVPA-specific guided mindfulness audio files (e.g., 10-minute treadmill walking meditation, 20-minute bicycling meditation) that they will be asked to listen to during ≥3 MVPA sessions/week. The length and intensity of these audio files will correspond to their progression in the program. All videos and recordings will be accessed via the study app.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Cancer Institute (NCI)

  collaborator NIH

• Northwestern University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Siobhan M Phillips, PhD, MPH · Northwestern University

• David E Victorson, PhD · Northwestern University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-03-24

Primary Completion

2026-08-31

Completion

2026-08-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations